Press and Publications

This report describes human rights violations committed by the Government of the United States against asylum seekers who are fleeing gender-based violence (GBV).

This report, published in advance of the review of Colombia’s human rights record by the UN Committee on the Elimination of of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) at its 72nd Session, documents human rights violations committed against Afro-Colombian women and their communities, and makes concrete recommendations for change.

The UN General Assembly is going to receive a new draft treaty on crimes against humanity. Unfortunately, the new draft uses an outdated definition of gender that would give some governments an excuse to ignore persecution of women and LGBTIQ people. This new treaty is a historic opportunity to address egregious crimes and enhance state efforts to prevent and punish gender-based crimes. However, a text that fails to reflect the current human rights definition of gender could sideline women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons; and other marginalized groups. It could also result in even greater impunity for gender-based crimes amounting to crimes against humanity. 

This report, published in advance of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women pre-sessional review of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's human rights record in November 2018, documents human rights violations against women and girls, including threats to and violations of their gender-based human rights and participation in peace building efforts, particularly in the eastern provinces of the country. This report informs the Committee's creation of the List of Issues that will be posed to the Government of the DRC before the official hearing in 2019.

We, the undersigned nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are writing to express our grave concern about the manner in which the Government of Iraq is carrying out prosecutions of ISIS fighters. 

This report, published in advance of the UN Human Rights Council’s review of Colombia’s human rights record in May 2018, documents human rights violations against Afro-Colombian Peoples and communities, including threats to and violations of their gender-based human rights.

MADRE and the CUNY School of Law joined a coalition of organizations to convene an experts’ meeting, bringing together 25 international experts and scholars in the fields of international criminal law and gender rights. 

Despite the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Iraq, outside of Kurdistan it remains against the law for Iraqi NGOs to provide shelter to those escaping gender-based violence. 

Since 2010, MADRE and our Haitian partners have worked together to bring a human rights perspective to the Haitian Penal Code. 

We the undersigned organizations are writing to express our deep concerns about the US Mission to the United Nations’ selection of representative from the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam) to join its official delegation to the 61st annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). 

The report focuses on women and girls' lack of access to education, as well as their lack of access to healthcare, including care specific to victims of gender-based violence. It also illustrates the unavailability of protection and justice for women and girls in the face of ongoing gender-based violence, including sexual violence, forced and early marriage, and "honor" crimes. 

The report focuses on six main areas of concerns in relation to the status of the rights of women and girls in Iraq, including the prevalence of gender-based violence, impunity for human rights violations against women and girls, and discriminatory legal provisions.